Trump arrives in Japan, first in five-nation Asia tour (Lead)

Tokyo, Nov 5 (IANS) US President Donald Trump arrived in Japan on Sunday, the first stop of his five-nation tour through Asia where he is set to focus on the North Korean threat, media reports said.

Upon his arrival, Trump rallied American and Japanese forces at the Yokota Air Base near Tokyo, touting the strength of the US-Japanese alliance, reports CNN.

Praising the assembled troops as “brave warriors” who are “the last bulwark against threats” facing the US and Japan, Trump thanked American service-members stationed at the base and talked up the US military prowess in the region.

“We dominate the sky. We dominate the seas. We dominate the land and space,” Trump said to the assembled troops.

“You put hope in every soul that yearns for peace,” he added.

The Air Force One landed at the US-controlled Yokota Air Base at about 10.37 a.m. (local time) on Sunday where the President and First Lady Melania Trump was received by the US Ambassador to Japan, William Hagerty, and the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taro Kono.

Trump along with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will play golf at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama later in the day with the country’s top golfer, Hideki Matsuyama, state-run public broadcaster NHK reported.

The two leaders and their wives will then have dinner together.

On Monday, Trump will visit Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. He is also scheduled to have talks with Abe, and meet with families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s. The meeting may include a former abductee who returned in 2002.

Trump and Abe will then hold a joint news conference.

During their talks, the leaders are expected to discuss North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and might also jointly urge China and other countries to increase pressure on Pyongyang.

On the economic front, they are expected to agree to strengthen cooperation in the energy sector. They will also discuss further cooperation on foreign infrastructure projects.

After Japan, Trump will head to South Korea on November 7 where he will visit Camp Humphreys, a US military complex south of Seoul but would not go to the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the border between the South and North.

Trump will then visit China on November 8 where he will participate in a series of events with his counterpart Xi Jinping, the BBC reported.

In Vietnam (November 10-11), Trump will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Danang and make a state visit to Hanoi.

His final engagement will be a summit of South-East Asian nations in the Philippine capital, Manila (November 12-13).

The last time a US president made such a marathon trip to Asia was when George.H.W. Bush visited the region in late 1991 and early 1992.